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<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Shangjunshu 商君書 (www.chinaknowledge.de)</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../../System/styles.css" type="text/css"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta name="description" content="Shangjunshu 商君書 is the book attributed to the legalist politician Shang Yang 商鞅 (c. 390-338 BCE)."> <meta name="DC.creator" content="Ulrich Theobald"> <meta name="DC.Publisher" content="Ulrich Theobald"> <meta name="DC.Language" content="en"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="../../System/ding.ico" type="image/x-icon"> </head> <body> <div class="im-centered"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-3 navigationleft"> <a href="../../index.html"><img src="../../System/logo.png" width="75" height="86" border="0" title="Home"></a> </div> <div class="col-6"> <div class="title">ChinaKnowledge.de -</div> <div class="subtitle">An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature</div> </div> <div class="col-3"> <div> <script> (function() { var cx = '013050407773911876316:n9qohf_gclw'; var gcse = document.createElement('script'); gcse.type = 'text/javascript'; gcse.async = true; gcse.src = 'https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=' + cx; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(gcse, s); })(); </script> <gcse:search></gcse:search> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="im-centered"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-3 article"> </div> <div class="col-9"> <ul> <li class="navigationbarhorizontal"><a href="../../index.html">HOME</a></li> <li class="navigationbarhorizontal"><a href="../../History/history.html">History/Politics</a></li> <li class="navigationbarhorizontal"><a href="../../Literature/literature.html">Literature</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="im-centered"> <div class="header"> <h1><i>Shangjunshu</i> 商君書</h1> </div> </div> <div class="im-centered"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-3 navigationleft"> <ul> <li><b><a href="../Classics/jingbu.html">Confucian Classics</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="../Historiography/shibu.html">Historiography and Statecraft</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="../Diverse/zibu.html">Masters and Philosophers</a></b></li> <ul> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Classics/rujia.html">Confucian Books</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Diverse/bingjia.html">Military Books</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><b><a href="../Diverse/fajia.html">Legalist Treatises</a></b></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Science/nongjia.html">Agriculture and Agronomy</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Science/yijia.html">Medicine and Pharmacology</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Science/tianwensuanfa.html">Astronomy and Mathematics</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Daoists/shushu.html">Divination</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Science/yishu.html">Art</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Science/pulu.html">Material Culture and Nature Studies</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Diverse/zajia.html">Books on Miscellaneous Issues</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Science/leishu.html">Encyclopaedias and Handbooks</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Novels/xiaoshuojia.html">Novellas and Stories</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Religion/shijia.html">Buddhist Books</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Daoists/daojia.html">Daoist Books</a></li> </ul> <li><b><a href="../Poetry/jibu.html">Belles-Lettres and Collections</a></b></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-6 article"> <div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="../literature.html">Literature</a> > <a href="../Diverse/zibu.html">Masters and Philosophers</a> > <a href="../Diverse/fajia.html">Legalist treatises</a> > Shangjunshu</div> <div class="author">Jul 18, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald</div> <p><i>Shangjunshu</i> 商君書 "Book of Lord Shang", also called <i>Shangzi</i> 商子 "Master Shang" or <i>Shangjun</i> 商君 "Lord Shang", was written by Gongsun Yang 公孫鞅 or Wei Yang 衛鞅, the Lord of Shang 商君 (390-338 BCE), a title which also gave him the name <a href="../../History/Zhou/personsshangyang.html">Shang Yang</a> 商鞅 (c. 390-338 BCE), by which he is commonly known today. Of the original 29 chapters, only 24 are extant. Some chapters were definitely written after Shang Yang's death, either by adherents of himself, or by disciples of <a href="hanfeizi.html">Han Fei</a> 韓非, but they reflect his political philosophy which belongs to the school of <a href="legalism.html">legalism</a>.</p> <p>Shang Yang, as advisor of Duke Xiao 秦孝公 (r. 361-338) of <a href="../../History/Zhou/rulers-qin.html">Qin</a> during the <a href="../../History/Zhou/zhou-event-zhanguo.html">Warring States period</a> 戰國 (5th cent.-221 BCE), was able to convince his lord of a thorough restructuring of the government and its politics. He advocated the use of a system of reward and punishment to be exerted by a strong and powerful (<i>shi</i> 勢) ruler. The traditional <a href="../../History/Terms/wujue.html">aristocracy</a> was to be replaced by a meritocracy, through which the ruler only employed persons of high abilities. A strong government would rely on only two other classes of people, namely peasants, and soldiers to nourish or to defend the state. The traditional <a href="../../History/Terms/jingtian.html">well-field system</a> (<i>jingtianzhi</i> 井田) was abolished and replaced by a system of private ownership (<i>qianmo</i> 阡陌). Semi-autonomous regional territories were to be replaced by commanderies and districts (<i>junxianzhi</i> 郡縣制) directly under the suzerainty of the ruler. Laws and standards (<i>shu</i> 數 "calculation methods") of the whole country should be unified.</p> <p>Shang Yang explained that each historical age had its own circumstances, and that it was of no used to heedlessly follow the patterns of the past. Adaption to the actual circumstances was in any case a necessary politics. His own age was the age of bureaucracy, in which objective laws had to supersede a personal rulership. The way of aristocratic warfare was also over and had to be replaced by a way of warfare that made use of armies consisting of recruited peasants. The "productive" forces of the whole population thus had to be used for the sake of the state. The peasantry was of an immense importance for the economic wealth and the political power of a state, and therefore it was necessary to care for the opening of new fields to increase agricultural production. The state was governed by means of three mechanisms, first, the laws (<i>fa</i> 法) promulgated by the ruler, second, the trust (<i>xin</i> 信) between the ruler and his highest ministers, and finally the ruler's monopoly on power (<i>quan</i> 權). In order to stimulate the cooperation of the whole society, an all-embracing, absolute and objective system of rewards and punishments had to be made use of. By means of punishment, physical punishment would become superfluous in the end, and laws were to be made in such a mode that they would one day fall into obsolescence.</p> <p>After the death of of Duke Xiao, Shang Yang became the victim by slandering from the side of the former nobility and was punished with the death penalty by tearing him apart by quartering (<i>chelie</i> 車裂). The reforms were, nonetheless, not revoked and thus contributed to the growing power of the state of Qin.</p> <p>The oldest extant print of the <i>Shangjunshu</i> was that of Feng Mengzhen's 馮夢楨 Mianmiao Studio 綿眇閣 from the <a href="../../History/Ming/ming.html">Ming period</a> 明 (1368-1644). There is also a version included in the Cheng Rong's 程榮 <a href="../Terms/congshu.html">series</a> <a href="../Poetry/hanweicongshu.html"><i>Han-Wei congshu</i></a> 漢魏叢書, the version of the <a href="../Science/tianyigeshumu.html">Tianyige Library</a> 天一閣, that of <a href="../../History/Qing/personssunxingyan.html">Sun Xingyan</a>'s 孫星衍 <a href="../Poetry/wenjingtangcongshu.html"><i>Wenjingtang congshu</i></a> 問經堂叢書, and the series <a href="../Poetry/ershierzi.html"><i>Ershierzi</i></a> 二十二子, <a href="../Poetry/zhihai.html"><i>Zhihai</i></a> 指海, <a href="../Poetry/zishubaijia.html"><i>Zishu baijia</i></a> 子書百家, and <a href="../Science/sikuquanshu.html"><i>Siku quanshu</i></a> 四庫全書.</p> <p>The <i>Shangjunshu</i> attracted the interest of scholars only at a relatively late point of time. The first commentary was thus only written during the <a href="../../History/Qing/qing.html">Qing period</a> 清 (1644-1911), namely by Yan Wanli 嚴萬里 (<a href="../../History/Qing/personsyankejun.html">Yan Kejun</a> 嚴可均). More recent commentaries were compiled by Wang Shirun 王時潤 (<i>Shangjunshu jiaoquan</i> 商君書斠詮), Zhu Shiche 朱師轍 (<i>Shangjunshu jiegu dingben</i> 商君書解詁定本), Jiang Lihong 蔣禮鴻 (<i>Shangjunshu zhuizhi</i> 商君書錐指) and Gao Heng 高亨 (<i>Shangjunshu zhuyi</i> 商君書注譯).</p> <p>There is a full translation by J. J. L. Duyvendak (1928), <i>The Book of Lord Shang: a Classic of the Chinese School of Law</i> (San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center), and a newer one by Yuri Pines (2017), <i>The Book of Lord Shang: Apologetics of State Power in Early China</i> (New York: Columbia University Press).</p> <table id="t03"> <caption> Table 1. Contents of the <i>Shangjunshu</i> 商君書 </caption> <tr> <td>1.</td> <td>更法</td> <td><i>Bianfa</i></td> <td>The Reform of the Law</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2.</td> <td>墾令</td> <td><i>Maoling</i></td> <td>An Order to Cultivate Waste Lands</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3.</td> <td>農戰</td> <td><i>Nongzhan</i></td> <td>Agriculture and War</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4.</td> <td>去彊</td> <td><i>Quqiang</i></td> <td>The Elimination of Strength</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5.</td> <td>說民</td> <td><i>Shuomin</i></td> <td>About the People</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6.</td> <td>算地</td> <td><i>Suandi</i></td> <td>The Calculation of Land</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7.</td> <td>開塞</td> <td><i>Kaisai</i></td> <td>Opening and Debarring</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8.</td> <td>壹言</td> <td><i>Yiyan</i></td> <td>The Unification of Words</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9.</td> <td>錯法</td> <td><i>Cuofa</i></td> <td>Establishing Laws</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10.</td> <td>戰法</td> <td><i>Zhanfa</i></td> <td>The Method of Warfare</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11.</td> <td>立本</td> <td><i>Liben</i></td> <td>The Establishment of Fundamentals</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12.</td> <td>兵守</td> <td><i>Bingshou</i></td> <td>Military Defense</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13.</td> <td>靳令</td> <td><i>Jinling</i></td> <td>Making Orders Strict</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14.</td> <td>修權</td> <td><i>Xiuquan</i></td> <td>The Cultivation of the Right Standard</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15.</td> <td>徠民</td> <td><i>Laimin</i></td> <td>The Encouragement of Immigration</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16.</td> <td>刑約[缺]</td> <td><i>Xingyue</i></td> <td>Compendium of Penalties (lost)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17.</td> <td>賞刑</td> <td><i>Shangxing</i></td> <td>Reward and Punishments</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18.</td> <td>畫策</td> <td><i>Huace</i></td> <td>Policies</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19.</td> <td>境內</td> <td><i>Jingnei</i></td> <td>Within the borders</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20.</td> <td>弱民</td> <td><i>Ruomin</i></td> <td>Weakening the People</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21.</td> <td>[缺]</td> <td>?</td> <td>(lost)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22.</td> <td>外內</td> <td><i>Wainei</i></td> <td>External and Internal Affairs</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23.</td> <td>君臣</td> <td><i>Junchen</i></td> <td>Ruler and Minister</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24.</td> <td>禁使</td> <td><i>Jinshi</i></td> <td>Interdicts and Encouragements</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25.</td> <td>慎法</td> <td><i>Shenfa</i></td> <td>Attention to Law</td> </tr> <tr> <td>26.</td> <td>定分</td> <td><i>Dingfen</i></td> <td>The Fixing of Rights and Duties</td> </tr> </table> <div class="bibliography">Sources:</div> <div class="bibliography">Galvany, Albert (2002). "¿Sofistas o Lógicos? Algunas consideraciones en torno al origen y evolución de la Escuela de los Nombres (ming jia) en la China antigua", <i>Estudios de Asia y Africa</i>, 37 (3): 503-526.</div> <div class="bibliography">Levi, Jean (1993). "Shang chün shu", in Michael Loewe, ed. <i>Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide</i> (Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China/Institute of East Asian Studies), 368-375.</div> <div class="bibliography">Li Cunshan, Yuri Pines (2016). "Book of Lord Shang and Elevation of Confucianism in the Han: Including the Discussion of the Conflict between Shang Yang, his School, and the Confucians", <i>Contemporary Chinese Thought</i>, 47 (2): 112-124.</div> <div class="bibliography">Li Dingsheng 李定生 (1992). "Shangjunshu 商君書", in <i>Zhongguo xueshu mingzhu tiyao</i>> 中國學術名著提要, Vol. <i>Zhexue</i> 哲學卷 (Shanghai: Fudan daxue chubanshe), 64.</div> <div class="bibliography">Pan Fu'en 潘富恩 (1987). "Shangjunshu 商君書", in <i>Zhongguo da baike quanshu</i> 中國大百科全書, part <i>Zhexue</i> 哲學 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 2, 751.</div> <div class="bibliography">Pan Fu’en 潘富恩 (1987). "Shang Yang 商鞅, in <i>Zhongguo da baike quanshu</i> 中國大百科全書, part <i>Zhexue</i> 哲學 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 2, 752.</div> <div class="bibliography">Pines, Yuri (2016). "A 'Total War'? Rethinking Military Ideology in the Book of Lord Shang", <i>Journal of Chinese Military History</i>, 5 (2): 97-134.</div> <div class="bibliography">Pines, Yuri (2016). "Dating a Pre-Imperial Text: The Case Study of the Book of Lord Shang", <i>Early China</i>, 39: 145-184.</div> <div class="bibliography">Pines, Yuri, Carine Defoort (2016). "Chinese Academic Views on Shang Yang Since the Open-Up-and-Reform Era", <i>Contemporary Chinese Thought</i>, 47 (2): 59-68.</div> <div class="bibliography">Tong Weimin, Yuri Pines (2016). "On the Composition of the 'Attracting the People' Chapter of the Book of Lord Shang", <i>Contemporary Chinese Thought</i>, 47 (2): 138-151.</div> <div class="bibliography">Yu Dunkang 余敦康 (1992). "Shangjunshu 商君書", in <i>Zhongguo da baike quanshu</i> 中國大百科全書, part <i>Zhongguo lishi</i> 中國歷史 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 2, 897-898.</div> <div class="bibliography">Zhang Linxiang, Yuri Pines (2016). "Progress or Change? Rethinking the Historical Outlook of the Book of Lord Shang", <i>Contemporary Chinese Thought</i>, 47 (2): 90-111.</div> </div> <div class="col-3 navigationright"> <ul> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../Literature/Script/script.html">Language/Script</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../Terms/literature_terms.html">Terms</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../literature_theme.html">Genres</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Zhou/zhou-literature.html">Zhou Period Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Han/han-literature.html">Han Period Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Division/jin-literature.html"> Literature of the Period of Division</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Tang/tang-literature.html">Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Song/song-literature.html">Song, Liao, Jin Dynasties Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Yuan/yuan-literature.html">Yuan Period Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Ming/ming-literature.html">Ming Period Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Qing/qing-literature.html">Qing Period Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/Rep/rep-literature.html">Republican Literature</a></li> <li class="navigationbar"><a href="../../History/PRC/prc-literature.html">Modern Literature</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="im-centered"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-9 footer"> <p>2000ff. © Ulrich Theobald · <a href="mailto:theobald_uli@hotmail.com">Mail</a> · <a href="../../About/about.html">About</a></p> </div> <div class="col-3 donate"> <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick"> <input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="XY7FBVYVKXS4J"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!"> <img alt="" valign="bottom" border="0" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/de_DE/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1"> </form> </div> </div> </div> </body> </html>